Friday Night Lights Series Review - A Eulogy or Love Letter

“Clear eyes. Full hearts. Can’t lose.” -Coach Eric Taylor

How do I begin writing about a show that is so amazing, so real, so emotional that it’s hard to believe it’s fiction? I’m bound to leave out several thoughts and feelings. Part of this will sound hyperbolic or like a love letter to Matt Sarecen or Coach Taylor, but know that I loved every minute of this show.

Friday Night Lights just completed an amazing 5 season run. Much like some of the characters and Coach Taylor’s teams, the show had to scratch and claw and fight to remain on top, all while not sacrificing its integrity. I was hesitant at first to watch this show because I thought it would just be another teen drama with no real substance. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Friday Night Lights tackles every subject fearlessly. Love, divorce, sex, hatred, murder, abortion, drugs, teen pregnancy, strip clubs, and yes-football are all dealt with in a way that never seems trite or disingenuous. The show gives incredibly deep and complex characters. Coach Taylor is a hero in my eyes. He embodies the principles and discipline of a man that everyone should aspire to be. Coach Taylor is not perfect, and never claimed to be, but he put his best foot forward and left it all on the field, just like the show itself.

I identified with show right from the start. I’m always a fan of the underdog and the character of Matt Sarecen jumped out at me and captivated me. (I’m typing this wearing a Sarecen jersey.) Sarecen is thrust into the position QB1 after the star QB Jason Street goes down with a spinal injury. Sarecen, ill-prepared mentally(football IQ) and physically, finds a way to win the game and ultimately the state championship. It’s not easy being an underdog, but once you realize there’s no pressure, you can open up and succeed. Friday Night Lights played the game as an underdog with nothing to lose. In it’s 5 season run, they only knew there would be another season after the 4th season, and yet they pulled no punches and stuck to their beliefs. They told great stories with substance. That’s all a viewer can ask for. Tell me a good story and make me believe it.

I once had an argument with a girl at work if she was a Sarecen or a Riggins girl. She responded quickly. “Riggins! He’s so hot.” I was surprised I took such offense to the comment. I took it personally. Sarecen and I are a lot alike. We were never quite the best at everything, but we just tried to make good at everything and everyone we came into contact with. Matt was a dedicated friend and always put his family first. Some of the best scenes were Matt taking care of his grandma with dementia on his own. And the best scene from the best episode, “The Son,” Matt has to bury his father and all the emotions of a kid who’s been asked to do so much at such a high level and never complained come pouring out. I was moved to tears and it’s a scene that will stick with me for the rest of my life. All this to say, Friday Night Lights is more than just a teenage drama, it’s more than a story of a high school football team, it’s a journey that effects you personally.

Coach Taylor is a hero. He is a molder of young men and always placed a premium on family and those he was closest to. His marriage is perhaps the most realistic relationship to ever have been captured on screen. I have never been married, but I know my future wife will thank the Taylor’s one day. It’s ok to not be perfect, so long as we are true to ourselves and always think of others first. I have an amazing father, so it wouldn’t be fair to say that I wish I had a dad like Coach Taylor, but more of a compliment to Kyle Chandler who plays Coach Taylor is that I see my dad in Coach. That’s the beauty of the show. Everyone can identify with the characters and can reflect those in their own lives onto the actors in the show. Everyone knows a guy like Tim Riggins, a student like Landry, a girl like Tyra. The made up town of Dillon, TX may even feel just like home for certain people.

Friday Night Lights may be finished but it will live on in those who watched it. I’ll say it one more time, “Clear eyes. Full Hearts. Can’t Lose.”